Man pleads guilty to racist threats against coach

FILE - This Aug. 4, 2012 file photo shows new football helmets that were given to a group of youth football players from the Akron Parents Pee Wee Football League, in Akron, Ohio. It's not just football. A new report says too little is known about concussion risks for young athletes, and it's not clear whether better headgear is an answer. The panel stresses wearing proper safety equipment. But it finds little evidence that current helmet designs, face masks and other gear really prevent concussions, as ads often claim. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Nashville man has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for making racially motivated threats to an African-American assistant football coach at a high school.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, 20-year-old Jonathan Caine made repeated anonymous threats to the assistant coach and others in the high school administration.

Caine is a former student and football player at the high school where the victim works. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Nashville on Friday to threatening the victim with violence because of the victim's race and employment.

The name of the victim and the high school where he works were not disclosed in court records.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24. Caine faces a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison and a $100,000 fine.

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